Wine Advisor
Vougeraie, Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru comes from a parcel just in front of Baron Thenard’s Montrachet and is raised in one new and one raised barrel. It is one the newest additions to the already vast Vougeraie portfolio: two parcels totaling 0.20 hectares, 15 rows on the upper reaches and 10 rows on the lower. It has an attractive candied orange peel bouquet that unfurls in the glass – one of the most expressive Batard that I have encountered at this early stage. The palate is well-balanced with a sorbet-like freshness on the entry, hints of apricot and white peach with a peachy long finish. This is a pretty grand cru. Domaine de la Vougeraie was founded in 1998 when the domaines of Claudine Deschamps, Pierre Ponnelle, Louis Voilland and L’Heritier-Guyot were merged. I remember it well because at the time I was exporting L’Heritier-Guyot’s wines to Japan (to be frank, they were quite ordinary back then.) The man behind the venture was Jean-Claude Boisset, whose own considerable holdings meant that Domaine de la Vougeraie became a significant player in the Cote d’Or, with 37 hectares of prime vineyard including seven grand crus to their name. I have to be honest and say that like many others, I liked the first few vintages of their wine, but found them a little predictable and seemed to struggle for charm and personality. Perhaps that was a reflection of former winemaker Pascal Marchand applying the practices he had learned at Comte Armand: a lot of new oak with 100% de-stemmed fruit – not really my bag. When he departed for pastures new, incoming winemaker Pierre Vincent seemed to apply a gentler touch. The new oak is still part of the wines’ character, but there is certainly a more considered approach, plus he is more open to using whole cluster fruit. Managing such an array of wines with a relatively small team cannot be easy in challenging vintages such as 2012, or for that matter 2013. Pierre told me that his average yields were 22 hectoliters per hectare, though for the grand crus, they were down to 17 hectoliters per hectare. Importer: Boisset Family Estates, St. Helena, CA; tel. (800) 878-1123
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2012 tasting in Beaune. The 2012 Bâtard Montrachet Grand Cru from Domaine de la Vougeraie has a well-defined bouquet, here exhibiting a conspicuous marine influence, hints of oyster shell permeating the citrus fruit and cold flagstone aromas. The palate is fresh and crisp on the entry, quite phenolic compared to its peers, spicy like Blain-Gagnard’s Bâtard-Montrachet, armed with good intensity on the finish. It is still very primal but there is appreciable length here, if not quite the finesse of a top flight Bâtard-Montrachet.
About the Producer
Domaine de la Vougeraie is located in the wine-producing village of Premeaux between Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune in Burgundy, France. Chateau Vujaré was formally established in 1999 and is the property of one of the Burgundy wine merchant giants, the Posset family. The name of the winery "Vougeraie" means that the family owns a large piece of land in Vougeot (Clos de Vougeot), which is also the name of Claude's private residence in Vougeot. Today, the Posset family has effectively integrated the French and American wine industries and has become one of the world's premier luxury wine producers. Wujielai Winery has 67 vineyards with a total area of more than 34 hectares. Two-thirds of the winery's vineyards are located in the Côte de Nuits, and the rest are in the Côte de Beaune. Each area of the winery has different soil and climatic conditions. Some areas are dominated by sandy clay on the surface and clay on the bottom layer, which is suitable for planting Pinot Noir. Some parks have chalk (Chalk) soil, more pebbles, and Pinot Noir is also planted. The winery has been using organic farming methods to manage the vineyards since 1998. In 1999, the organic method of growing the vineyard was officially approved. Since 2001, the vineyards have been managed using Biodynamic methods. During the grape harvest season, the growers will regularly measure the grapes to ensure the best balance between the sugar content, pH and acidity of the grapes, and predict the best time for grape picking in turn, and then pick the grapes manually . Biodynamic method is a major feature of Wujielai Winery. The biodynamic method regards the entire planting area as a whole, emphasizing biodiversity. By studying the changes of the sun, the moon and the stars, and giving corresponding guidance at the right time, the vitality of animals and plants can be enhanced. Guided by the biodynamic calendar, biodynamic methods run through the entire process of viticulture, pruning and harvesting. This biodynamic calendar includes fruit days, root days, flower days and leaf days. All kinds of winemaking equipment in the winery are large in scale and of very good quality.
